Coweta man pleads guilty to Internet scheme

A Coweta County man has pleaded guilty to defrauding local and international victims in an Internet scheme, according to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

Randolph Wayne Hill, of Newnan, pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering arising out of various fraud schemes he operated over the Internet involving the supply of chemicals used in farming and other industries, court officials said.

“This defendant used the Internet to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from small businesses both here in Georgia and abroad,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates in a prepared release Thursday. “As today’s conviction demonstrates, it is a priority of this office to detect and aggressively prosecute fraudsters who use the Internet to target victims in our district and elsewhere.”

According to Yates, the charges and other information presented in court: In March and April 2008, Hill falsely advertised on the Internet through his company, Hill Resources, LLC, that he was able to deliver multiple tons of various chemicals to customers throughout the world. On or about March 15, 2008, Hill misrepresented that he was ready to ship more than 120 tons of a fertilizer chemical from the United States to a collective of farmers in Suriname, even though he had no such supplier of the chemical in the United States. In reliance on Hill’s promise, the individual acting on behalf of the farmers paid Hill more than $60,000.

On or about April 15, 2008, Hill misrepresented that he would supply a company operating in Cartersville, Ga., with more than 160 tons of a chemical used in fireproofing fabrics, even though he had no such supplier of the chemical, court officials said. In reliance on Hill’s promise, the company in Cartersville paid Hill almost $200,000.

Hill never delivered any product to either business, nor returned the money. Hill repaid another customer with $25,000 of the money from the company in Cartersville. Hill kept the rest of the money for his personal use, according to court officials.

Hill, 71, of Newnan, could receive a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on each count. However, in determining the actual sentence, the court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.

Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 4 at 10 a.m. before United States District Judge Timothy C. Batten. This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office.

Assistant United States Attorney Laurel Boatright is prosecuting the case.